The church that we are staying at is actually on the line between Waveland and Bay St. Louis. This morning after breakfast our team hit the clothes tent again. There was a steady stream of folks coming through all day - some were repeat customers looking through the newest "merchandise".
Here is a picture of the Waveland Elementary School - notice all the desks, chairs and other supplies outside. 
I spent most of the day at the home of another church member. Billy's home had sustained 5-7 ft. of flooding during Katrina and a leaky roof during Rita. I worked alongside a group from West Terre Haute, IN hanging sheetrock on the kitchen ceiling and on the lower 7 ft. of wall space. Both Billy and his wife shared some of their post-Katrina experiences and frustrations. Many in this rural area feel that the media has overlooked their experience. They both joked that the news media gave the impression that Katrina hit New Orleans and Mobile,AL and nothing in between. FEMA came in for some criticism - mainly for the slow and confusing communication - it took Billy over six weeks to get his trailer. And we heard more stories of trouble with the insurance companys. A member of the Indiana team asked Billy's wife about coping with the loss of material posessions and with the stress of the recovery. She replied, "You choose your own attitude." She and many other locals have shown remarkable inner strength. Their grateful for their health, their families and for the assistance they have received.
Being here and hearing the stories, makes you wonder how I would respond if this happened to me. How would I respond to the loss of most or all of my material treasures? What kind of attitude would I have? Where would my hope and faith be placed? How would I begin to rebuild without insurance? Would I be angry? depressed? distraught? Or would I be thankful? hopeful? faithfull? joyful? Back home, our pastor has been taking us through a series on the book of Hebrews - with the theme "Jesus Is Better". We've been exploring where we put our treasure (for there is where our heart is). Is my stuff my treasure or is my treasure found in my relationship with my Lord? Very tough questions that are made more clear through my experiences here.
Tonight, we went to the beach where we saw what was left of the luxury beachfront homes. The owner of this home was a collector of John Deere tractors - if you look closely, you can also see the remains of a classic corvette that was flipped upside down.Our team went to Sicely's Italian Restaurant in Bay St. Louis where we enjoyed the Italian Buffet. This is one of three or four eating establishments that are open in this area (Waveland's Sonic drive-in is constantly slammed).
2 comments:
Has anyone taken a look at the Gulf Grove Apartment Complex? My Grandmother lived there, and I'm really anxious to see or hear any info about the condition.
The damage all over this area is pretty widespread. Very few buildings have were unaffected. You can send an e-mail info@citiimpact.org with specific information (names, address, etc...) and they might be able to get you some more info. I hope your grandmother is okay. Good luck in your search.
Post a Comment